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l. 0. TORKELSON.

comsmmom MILK AND MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN..24 1919.

Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

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atto'onu o L'OJTORKELSON.

COMBINATION MILK AND MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED 1,111.24 1919.

1,313,354. Patented Aug. 19,1919.

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I'm! COLUMBIA PLANOCIRAPM c0., WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED sTATEs mu 4 oBBIoBj.

I'sAK 0. TORKELSON, OF NEW BRIGHTON, NEW YORK, AssIGNoR or 0. TORKELSON, or NEW BRIGHTON, N W YORK.

ONE=IIALB TO BARS coMBINATIoN MILK AND MAIL Box.

To all whom it may 00mm.- c c c Be it known that I, ISAK O. ToBKELsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Brighton, in the county of Richmond, State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Combination Milk and Mail Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,iclear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention-relates to the class of 610- posit and collection receptacles, and more especially to an improved box for receiving milk in bottles and the like, and mail therein, and for insuring safe keeping thereof, until removed by the owner or customer to whose door the same is delivered." v f The invention further'comprehends an improved construction of depositjand collectionreceptacle which will obviate the neces sity of leaving bottles of milk or the like on stoop s or without protection andsubject'to access by cats, dogs and the like, and thus liable to contagion or devourment, breakage or otherwise stolen or misappropriated, the

device also serving to receive mail, and compr sing a box having a hinged cover from which issuspended or hung, a platform' adapted to support the bottles or the like placed within the box,- while a key'operated lock is provided to cooperate'with the platform to secure the hinged cover or lid in closed position'when the bottles of milk or the like have been placed in the box, thereby insuring safe delivery. f I

The invention further comprehends an improved construction of a deposit and collection receptacle or box made up of a blank section of sheet metaland provided witha hinged cover toprotect the contents, while disposed within the box is a' vertical part1- tion arranged transversely to divide thereceptacle into two compartments, one'for receiving milk bottles and theother for receiving mail and adapted through the medium of a platform pivotally secured to the cover, to'be held in a .-raised;pos1t on when empty, said platform alsoactingupon the opposite sides of the partitlon'so as to elevate the bottles and mail when the cover is raised,

upon being released by the keyactuated means cooperating with the platform as will Specification of Letters Patent, 1 31 31111 Aug, 19, 1919, Application filed January 24, 1919. Serial No. 272,910.

mailas desired. 7 V

With'the above objects and others in view, as will appear, as the specification proceeds, the invention comprises certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out and set forth in detail in the appended claims. i I

' Reference is had to' the accompanying convenient removal of both the milk and the drawings forming a part of this application, wherein like reference characters Indicate 'Fig. 5Qis 'a' detail View of ablank from I which the box'is made, and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation'of the key receivingside, and showing theparts in dotted lines' in position when the cover'is closed.

Referring tothe drawings in detail, my

improved combination milk and mail box, comprises a receptacle R preferably of rectangular crosssectlon and comprislngia front wall 10 and a back wall 11, sidewalls l 12 and13 and a bottom 14.' This receptacle is preferably made upof a single section of' blank material in which the sides '12 and'lS are made contiguous with the edges of the front wall 10 and the back wall 11 contiguous with the edge of the 'sidef12, theconf tiguous edges'being vertical edges. The bottom portion 14 is formed contiguous with the lower edge of the rearwall 11.

" The frontwall 10 is also made fof less height than the rear wall '11, the sides 12 and l3 thus' having sloping top edges 15 which like the u1ppefedge of the frontwall 10, are preferably turned downwardlyiancl inwardly as shown at 16, to provide anoncutting edge as a safety against injury to v the person obtaining access to the box. The top edge also slopes forwardly, from which the rear wall llprojects upwardly, the rear wall 'beingvs'uitably apertured as shown at, '17, so astopermitthe box to be nailed or V and being riveted or otherwise secured to otherwise-secured to a vertical-wall or other upright support in convenient position "for he depositing and removal, of the contents; In order to secure the walls in assembled position at right angles to each other, in the manner specified, the front wallis provided 7 with a tongue extension strip 18' and the sides 12and 13 with similar extension strips or tongues '19 which latter are all bent inwardly at right angles beneath the bottom portion 14 after the latter is bent forwardly.

at right angles with respect to the back wall 11, so as to be arranged beneath and to sus tain said bottom wall for all practical purposes, since said bottom wall does not receive the weight of the milk bottles and contents ings 20 to. provide for the drainof the box as well as :for ventilation, v e a Hinged atthe backwall 11 on a line connecting the extreme upper end of the side edges ofthe sides 12 and.13 is a cover 21, the hinges thereof being designated at .22

the back wall '11 and the top, or cover 21, so

as to prevent the cover from being removed and access being had to the box for removingthe' contents thereof,unauthorizedlyi V Arranged vertically across the box onthe inside, is a partition 23 preferably secured tothe opposed: sides 12 and .13 through the medium of rightangular cleats 24: which are riveted to said respective sides and the par.-

tition soas to rigidly support the latter with its lower edge resting upon the bottom of thevbox and with its upper. edge terminatshortof the top of the box, as is clearly shown in the drawings. This partition is also provided with aseries of. verticalslots 25 in its lower-portion, said-slots being located in spaced parallel relation. and xg tending from the lower edge thereof .or'the bottomiof thebomto a point 'spaced yfrom the upper edge of the partition for substantially one half of, the. height thereof. The purposeof these :slOts will presently appear.

1 i Movable-in the compartment M as distin-' guished from the compartment 'P provided in rear and infront'of the partition 23,1 1+ speetively, isa platform'26, said platform having fork-shaped tines 27 bolte'd or otherwisesecured thereto and projecting through the slots 25 into the compartment P to sus- .7 tain andrelevate maildeposited in thelbox ascwilli later be, described; The-platform is hu'ngf or suspendedfrom the cover 21 and V for-this purpose," there is, secured tothebottom surface of thecove a pair-of opposed parallel and depending rightangular brackets 28 disposed intermediately between the front and rear edges of the cover near the side edges thereof and each having a pair of openings 29 therethrough for bolting or riveting the upperends of the hangers 30 therethrough. These upper ends are provided with" slots 31 to allow compensating-movementso that the platform will be sustained "in a slightly raised position supporting the bottles thereon in the compartment when 7 empty. To accomplish this, there" is pro vided in the'partition 23, a spring 32,"anchored at its upper end and having its lower end entered forwardly to provide .a right angled shoulder 33, with the free end extending through a slot 34 in the partition 23 and turned upwardly as shown at '35, so as to limit the rearward displacementeof the spring. I The platform is designed to be sus tained by the spring and thereby hold the cover in an open position for permitting the placing of i the bottles therein containing milk but with'the contents in the bottles,

V the platform will be lowered below the shoulder 33 and the cover will thereby be locked in a closed position to exclude all 7 foreign matter and prevent unauthorized removal of the bottles. To assist the sustain- ;ing'and'closing action of the platform and cover, J the hinges 30 are pivoted at their rear; lower corners tothe side edges of the platform 26, as shown at 30,'and provided at their front lower corners, with adjacent vertical arcuateslots 31 concentric to the pivots in which pins 321 carried by-the edges of the platform are engaged. In this man'- ner, the engaging action of the platform against the key operated loeking' device or spring 32 is-cushioned, so that the-platform willbe supported in the manner shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 of the drawings, there} f by sustaining the empty bottles while per mitting the cover to move tofa, closed;,-posi tion touprotect the contents, assistedby the action of the loose of compensating connect-ion' a'fforded by the engagement: of the pivotsin the slots 31, between the brackets 28am the hangers 30. When'the -filled bottles arejplaced in the box upon the-"plat-r form, the platform will repress and pass by andbeneath the spring catch 32' the con; nectionsfo'r pins 32" moving downwardly the slots 31 as the a platform moves to: its lowest limit, and I the slots 31 permitting the hangers 30to'move downwardly. I There isdispo'sed in'the sidewall 13how ever, a key hole 36 'forreceiving a keyf37, bymeans of which the spring catch Tca'nibe depressed against the partition' 23 so as to the medium of the connection of the cover with the platform by .the hangersasde scribed, whereby the contents can, be .re-

moved. Theplatform is notched as shown" at 36 to accommodate the bit of the key 37 in order to actuate the spring catch, as described.

It will beu'nderstood that the compartment M is for the purpose of containing the milk bottles .as described .and the compartment P is for receiving mail to be simultaneously projected above the top of the box as described. In order to deposit mail into the compartment P there is provided in the front r wall 10 of the box, a slot38 at the upper edge of which an upwardly and inwardly at 42. In the front of the box the word Mail .is perforated as. shown at 43,, so that it may be discerned without opening the box,whether.there is any mail in the compartment P. A' band 44: is also provided for'the cover or lid 21, to receive newspapers and the like. It is also to be noted that said cover or lid projects over the edges of the,

sides and front wall, thereby excluding rain water and thelike. 3

In thismanner,'it will be seen that I have provided an effective device or box for containing bottles of; milk or other food and protecting the, same against being stolen or contamination by access having been had thereto. by cats, dogs or 10171161 animals, thus insuring that the bottles or the like will be received in a clean and sanitary condition. The placing and removal of the mail may be carried on with efliciency, the safe retention thereof until removed, being insured also.

What is claimed is 1. A combined milk and mail box, comprising a receptacle having means of sup porting the same, a hinged cover for the receptacle, a vertical partition in the receptacle, dividing the same into a plurality of compartments, a platform movable in one of the compartments and having tines projecting into the other compartments, hangerssuspending the platform from the cover, means to secure said platform in a lowered position with the cover closed or to release the latter and means to permit the platform to be partially sustained against locking when the cover is closed in an unlocked position.

2. A deposit and collection receptacle of the classdescribed comprising'an inclosure having means of suspending the same against a vertical support, a partition ar ranged across the receptacle and dividing the same into front and rear compartments,

for; the purposes -specified. v i 1 I 4. ,A combined milk and mail box comprisa platform movable in the rear compartment and having projecting portions extending through the partition and into the front compartment,- hangers extending upwardly from the platform, brackets depending from the cover and pivotally connected to the hangers said hangers being slotted where connected to the brackets, and key operated means for securing the platform in ,a lowered position with the cover closed or for releasingthe'same to permit raising of the cover and removal of the contents, raising ofthe cover causing elevation of the platform to; project the contents above the open edge of the receptacle. p

3. A, combined milk andmail box comprising a receptacle having sloping sides and a; front wall provided with an opening therein, brackets at the opposed inner faces of thersides of the receptacle, a partition secured thereto and having a plurality of vertical parallel slots in its lower P01171011,

a platform movable in rear of the partition and having a plurality of tines projecting forwardly through said slots for movement therein to elevate the contents of the compartment resting thereon, hangers extend ing upwardly from the opposed edges of.

the platform andhaving slots in their upper ends, angular brackets depending from the cover and pivotally connected through said slots, said cover being hinged to the rear wall or for releasing thesame to permit opening of the cover to remove the contents, as and ing a receptacle having sloping sides and a front wall provided with an opening therein, brackets at the opposed inner faces of the sides of the receptacle, a partition secured thereto and having a plurality of vertical parallel slots in its lower portion, a platform movable in rear of the partition and having a plurality of tines projecting forwardly through said slots for movement upwardly from the opposed edges of the platform and having slots in their upper ends, angular brackets depending from the cover and pivotally connected through said slots, said cover being hinged to the rear wall of the receptacle, said receptacle comprising a single blank section of metal having opposed front and rear walls and side walls, a bottom formed at the bottom of the rear wall, tongues formed at the lower edges of the side and front walls and extending beneath said bottom, said bottom being perforated, said partition having a slot in its lower portion adjacent one side, and a spring secured to said partition and having a forwardly 'bent portion at its lower end with the free extremity thereof o extending upwardly to restrict the distension of the spring andproducing'a shoulder designed to engage over the platform-for retaining the latter in' a lowered position When the cover is closed, said side Wall having-a key opening therein adapted-to receive a key for depressing the'springto 'release the platform to permit raising-of the latter to eject the contents ofthe compartment in front and in rear of the partition "When the cover is opened:

5. In a deposit and collection receptacle,-

a container, said container ha-vi'ngan open top and having the remaining Walls thereof closed,'a movable closure for said'open top,

a vertical partition in the container, a platform movable in the container at one-side of the paltition and having'portions projecting through the partition tooperate in tllGlCOll'lPitItHlQIl-t in the other sidethere of, brackets depending from the closure, hangers having slotted connections with the brackets for pivotal movement With'respect thereto, said hangers having slotted pivotal connections with theplatform at the lower ends thereof, means for obtaining access to one of said compartments through the front wall'of the container and repressible'means for supporting the platform slightly elevated to permit raising-thereof With-the closure or to lock the sameat its-lower limit;

6. In a depositand collection receptacle, a container, sai'dflcontainer havingan open top and having the remaining Walls thereof come of em atenting-mewhen elo sedi' a rnovahle' clbsure :for-fsa'itl: open top;

a vertical partiti'on'in the container, a plat form movable in the container at one side of tlie partition and having POItIOHS 'project-i'n'g tlirough -the partition to operate in" the compartment at theother side thereof; bracl'ie'ts dependingfronr the closure, hangers=having slotted 1 connections with the braeketsfor 'pivotal movement with respect thereto, said hangers having slotted pivotal connections With :the platform at the lower ends" thereof, said artition being slotted, a

spring melriberanehored thereto and de pendingtherefrom, said spring having a rea bent portion engagingithrough the slot'and adapted to sustainthe platform partly elevated at times,- said slotted} connections between tlie' brackets,- and hangers, and the: hangers and platform, serving to relieve 1 the abutti'ngi'engagement of the-platform with c the spring member to" assist- -1n sustaining the p'1atform -'m a partly I elevatedposition o? are cents uant t undressin itne ycmhmmioner ofvlhtentsf wuhinrtoni lli 'qfi I v 

